Barking and signal light



March 4 1924. 1,485,903

I J. LE R. BANKS PARKING AND SIGNAL LIGHT Filed Oct. 13. 1923 1 N VEN TOR.

A TORNEY.

Patented Mar. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH LE ROY BANKS, F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAE-LITE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INCQRPORATED, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PARKING AND SIGNAL LIGHT.

Application filed Uctober 13,1923. Serial No. 668,365.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn LE RoY BANKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at post-ofice address 308 North Carey Street, in the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Parking and Signal Lights for Vehicles, Eta, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to lamps, particularly to the type of lamps which are used for signaling vehicles to stop or slow down their speed when approaching the rear of the vehicle upon which the signal lamp is 1 applied; as well as to provide means upon the signal lamp for indicating where a vehicle is parked, when stationary, without affecting the signal lamp, or the view of the lamp.

My invention also relates to methods of construction, simplifying the electrical con tacts in lamps, and also provides, among other things, a very novel'method for replacing lamp bulbs.

The objects are first, to provide a new and improved combination of lamps used for signaling and parking purposes for vehicles; secondly, to provide a quick way for replacing light bulbs; third, to provide a combined lamp socket and catch for securing the lamp body or shell to the socket; 4th, to provide a lamp shell, or body, with a soft bushing whereby the lenses or prisms are secured to the lamp body; 5th, to provide a lamp body 3 or shell with a key base and a complementary socket for securing the bulb socket in place; 6th, to provide a terminal contact for a light bulb by riveting a terminal in an insulating washer or'plug or bushing; 7th, to provide a novel means for making the signal of a lamp invisible; 8th, to make a combination lamp or a combination of lamps, the parts of which may be formed of sheet material in a very eificient manner and light in weight, because most all vehicle lamps of these types have heretofore been made of cast materials.

Fig. 1 is a sectionalelevation of my parking lamp superimposed upon and detachably secured to my signal or stop lamp, which in turn is detachably secured or may be permanently secured to a fender or other part of a vehicle, all shown in sectional elevation. Fig. 2. is a side elevation of my combined parking and signal lamp, showing the signal face plate and curtain in cross section.

Fig. 3. is the bottom viewof my cartridge socket for holding the electric light bulb in the signal lamp.

Fig. 4. is a plan view of my cartridge socket showing the electric light bulb in position in the socket; i

Fig. 5. is a front elevation of my combined parking and signal lamp with the curtain removed.

Fig. 6. is a front elevation of my signal lamp with the curtain in place.

Fig. 7. is a plan view of my combined parking and signal lamp.

Fig. 8. is a plan view of my signal lamp with the parking lamp detached.

Fig. 9. is a sectional plan of my signal lamp shell, modified.

Fig. 10. is a bottom view of my parking lamp, or may be the bottom view of the parking lamp-socket.

Fig. 11. is a sectional elevation of my electric light bulb socket in a modified form.

Fig. 12 is an end elevation of my parking lamp.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view of a portion of the socket.

Referring to the drawings,--

1 is the shell of my signal lamp upon which is superimposed my parking lamp 2 provided with the side jewel 2 and the lenses or prisms 5 and 6 at opposite ends supported in the shell 2 by resting against the compressible bushings 0r lining 4; the edges of the shell 2 being turned over the prisms or lenses 5 and 6 to hold them securely in place, after the manner of ring settings.

3 is an electric light bulb with its filament 3 secured in the usual ferrule 7 carrying a pin 8 by which the electric light bulb 3 is held in the bayonet slot 9 in the socket fixture 11 in which the insulating bushing 43' is fixed and through which the screw 14 is inserted'to hold the spring terminal 12 1 by the head 14:" guided by the insulating disc 11" through which the end of the terminal 12 passes and is headed 11" to form the contact point with the end 13 of the electric light bulb to complete the electric cir- 105 cuit in the usual way. i

The other terminal to the electric light bulb is conducted through the metal of the vehicle to the electric light socket 11.

10" are spring clips forming part of my 110 electric light bulb socket 11 and are made integral with the socket l1 and are formed by slotting the socket 11 at the points 10 and 10.

14 is the wire leading from the nut 14 by which it is secured to the screw 14", and it also is secured at its other end to the binding post 46 in the insulating plug 48 screwed into the hollow bolt 15 throughwhich the insulated wire 14 passes.

44 is a metal washer between which and the head of the screw of the binding post 46, the bare part of the insulated wire 14 is secured, and to which binding post the other line of the electric circuit is attached after being controlled by a switch in the usual way.

18 is an insulating bushing inserted in the bracket 20 of an electric light bulb socket of the cartridge pattern 33', in which is inserted the head of the hollow bolt 15 by which is secured both the socket 33and the signal lamp 1 to the fender 16 of an automobile or other support.

' 19 is an insulated wire fixed with its bare Wire end headed into the insulatingbushing l8, and after passing through the hollow bolt 15 is attached by its other end to the binding post 47, and 45 is a metal washer between which and the head of the screw of the binding post 47 is attached the wire of a circuit controlled by the stop pedal of an automobile or other vehicle.

This line 19 wire completes the circuit of an electric light bulb when inserted cartridge fashion in the socket 33, the socket metal conducting the current from the metal of the vehicle tov the other end of the filament 3".

17 is a nut on the threaded portion of the hollow bolt 15 by which the whole outfit is secured to a fender 16 or other support of a vehicle. V

83 is a boss'on the outside of the signal lamp shell forming a socket on the inside of the signal lamp shell, in which is inserted or rests the electric light bulb socket 33 and the head of the hollow bolt 15. The sides of the socket 33 are made of stampedspringy material and the upper ends are slightly curved at 21 and 21 to hold the ferrule 7 of the electric light bulb 3. s

25 is the tubular base of my parking -lamp detachably sliding onto the electric light bulb socket 10.

The tubular base 25 of my'parking lamp 2 may be made with the extension shown in Figure 12 by which the tubular extension 38 is inserted into the orifice 37 in the top of my signal lamp shell 1, and by turning the parking lamp 2 the winged portions 38 being cut away below the slotted part (annulargroove) 38", will lock the parking lamp 2 in place after the wings 38' have been inserted in the complementary orifices 38" and 39'. V r

The upper and lower edges of the front part of my signal lamp shell have extensions 29 and 30 over which the signal face 28 is slidably mounted and detachably secured to the signal lamp shell 1.1

The signal face 28 is preferably made with stenciled cut out letters 23, 24, 25,

26 over the front of which is fixed a curtain 28" of transparent or semi-transparent or translucent material which is secured over the cut out letters by turning over the edges 31 and 32 of the signal face plate 28' and the edges of the signal'plate are then formed at 29 and 30 to fit over and mate the extension edges 29 and 30 of the signal lamp shell.

28 are rivets to assist in holding the curtain 28 over the cut letters of the signal face plate 28", and the heads of these rivets 28 serve as a catch to hold both the signal plate 28" and the curtain 28" jointly in position on the signal lamp shell 1.

But I may use a tit formed by pricking the signal plate and curtain with a punch like a center punch, thereby making a raised tit of about the size of a rivet head for maintaining the position of the signal face and curtain on the signal lamp 1.

15 is the hole in the bottom or base of the lamp bulb socket 33 through which the shank of the hollow bolt 15 passes.

13 is the terminal of the electric light bulb 3.

8 is the stop pin usually found on the type of electric light bulbs shown, serving to'engage a bayonet slot when used with sockets provided with bayonet slots.

39 is an annular flange or shoulder to limit the depth which the parking lamp 2 is to enter the signal lamp shell 1.

34 are the sides of the signal lamp shell 1 made integral with the back 36 of the signal lamp shell 1 which is convex on the interior so as to diffuse the light from the bulb 3 in order to make the light rays pass uniformly through all of the letters of the signal face.

37 shows the cut away portion of the base of the parking lamp 2 (or the modified socket) so that the part of the annular flange which remains forms two wings 38, and just above these two wings 38' is an annular groove 38 corresponding with the diameter of the hole 37 in the center of the top of the signal lamp shell 1.

11 is the cylindrical part of the tubular base 25 of the parking lamp 2; or when so arranged in modified form the bulb socket which is inserted in the tubular of the base of the parking lamp 2.

10 is the tubular part of the lamp bulb socket 11 in which is inserted the shank or ferrule of the lamp bulb 3.

12 is an insulated disc free to move recippart rocally in the lamp socket with the expansion and contraction or compression of the attending spring terminal 12.

40 is a hole in the bottom of the electric light socket 11, which is sufficiently .large to allow the screw 14 to pass through 1vlviizhout touching the metal sides of the 41 is an insulating washer against which the nut 1d forms the binding post to clamp both the screw 14 and the wire 14' to the bulb socket 11.

11" is the hole in the insulating washer 11" through which the terminal spring 12 passes and 1s fixed to the insulating washer 11 43 is the bottom of the lamp socket 11 against which the insulating washer 12' is held by the screw 14'.

36' are rounded edges to beautify the appearance of the signal lamp shell 1.

It is intended that the superimposed parking lamp 2 shall be lit only when the vehicle is at a stand still or parked, while the signal lamp 1 is lit only when the vehicle is about to slow up its speed and not lit when the vehicle is parked.

The two lamps are combined to lessen the work of attaching the signal and stop lamps separately, since my combination lamp requires only one hole in the fender to attach it.

The bulb socket 33 comprises a disc 20' which rests in a circular recess or socket formed by making the boss 33 in the bottom of the signal lamp casing or shell 1.

Diametrically opposite portions, in the form of sectors 21 and 21 are cut from sheet metal jointly with the disc 20 and then bent upwardly and towards each other, each portion being transversely curved or crimped to form a shoulder. The stem of the lamp rests upon said shoulders and is held between the upper parts of the strucL- up portions. It will be noted that the lamp bulb 3' is supported horizontally wlliiereas the lamp bulb 3 is supported vertica y.

i is the interior of the shell 2 for the parking lamp and is made of soft material, such as soft metal, and the ends being shorter than the shell 2 form shoulders against which the lenses or prisms are held.

A transparent material like red celluloid, etc. will efiectively conceal the letters for the purpose intended.

The shoulders against which the prisms or lenses 5 and 6 in lamp 2 are clearly defined in the sketch.

These methods of securing the light bulb in its socket may be varied by me.

I also do not care to limit myself to any particular construction, or design except as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A signal lamp comprising a shell having a cam shaped aperture in which a second lamp shell is keyed by a complement of the cam shaped aperture.

2. A signal lamp comprising a shell having means within the shell for receiving the head of a hollow bolt for securing the shell to a support, means for supporting a lighting means within the shell secured by the said hollow bolt, and means passing through the hollow bolt for lighting the lighting means; a lamp shell supported on top of the first mentioned shell and provided with a means for supporting a lighting means within the shell, a means for securing the second lamp to the first shell, and means for lighting the second lamp passing through the first shell.

3. A signal lamp comprising a shell having means for securing it to a support, a lighting means within the shell secured by the means for securing the shell to the support, and means for lighting the lighting means secured to the means for securing the shell to a support; a parking lamp secured tothe signal lamp shell provided with a lighting means, means secured to the means for securing the parking lamp for lighting the parking lamp, the said lighting means also secured to the means for securing the signal lamp to the support.

JOSEPH LE BUY BANKS. 

